Aussie PC market picks up steam for 09 recovery

James Riley
Thursday, 16 July 2009 13:03

Your IT - Home IT

Commercial buyers re-entered the personal computer market in the second quarter in Australia, contributing to strengthened growth and putting the PC market on track for a recovery in the second half of 2009, according to research group IDC.

After a dismal first quarter for PC markers in Q1, business buyers re-emerged as the Aussie dollar strengthened and stimulus packages appeared to stabilise what had looked like economic freefall.

IDC Australia PC analyst Felipe Rego told iTWire the strength of the second quarter, which included surprising strong consumer sales, had put the Australian market on target to meet IDC’s forecast for modest year-on-year growth in 2009 of 1 per cent over last year.

The signs are modest, but encouraging, Rego said.

“We have seen a strong second quarter, and the Australian market has been very positive,” Rego told iTWire.

While year-on-year PC sales remained in negative territory, “sequentially we’re looking at 7 per cent growth from Q1 to Q2. And that is very positive, and sets up a strong second half.”

After the global shock of the first quarter, IDC says worldwide PC shipments had stabilised. While global shipments were down 3.1 per cent in the period compared to the year-ago quarter, the performance was better than expected (with IDC havig predicted a 6.3 per cent slump.)

All regions either met expectations or surpassed them, helped substantially by the evolution of the global PC market toward smaller, more personal Internet oriented portable machines, a market segment that has been a lifeline for sales across the world.

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